Academic Regulations & Procedures

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is demanded in a college community. The life of the mind requires precision in attribution and authorship of work. "Dishonesty in academic work, particularly in the form of plagiarism, also defeats the process of self-discovery which is the heart of a liberal education."

It is assumed that a student is the author of all course work (quizzes, problem sets, online contributions, tests, papers, lab work, etc.) that he/she submits, whether for a grade or not, and that the work has not been submitted for credit in another class without the instructor's permission. Images, ideas, data, audio clips, or phrases borrowed from others should be fully identified by standard procedures for making such acknowledgment. All permitted collaboration with others must still be acknowledged.

An act of academic dishonesty is a serious offense in a college community. By seeking credit for work that is not his or her own, a student takes unfair advantage of fellow students--who accept their limitations--and of their teachers--who trust their work. Dishonesty in academic work, particularly in the form of plagiarism, cheating, or prohibited collaboration, also defeats the process of self-discovery that is the heart of a liberal education. Persons establish their integrity and personality as they learn to distinguish what is significantly their own from what belongs to others, and as they learn to value their own work, including its limitations, in relation to the work of others. As a scholar, finally, one should be generous and welcoming in acknowledging the work of other scholars, for their work makes possible one's own.

At Carleton College, an act of academic dishonesty is therefore regarded as conflicting with the work and purpose of the entire College and not merely as a private matter between the student and an instructor; all cases involving such dishonesty are referred for appropriate action to the Academic Standing Committee (ASC) via the Associate Dean of Students or the Associate Dean of the College.

The privileges of dropping a course and taking the S/Cr/NC option are suspended for a student for any course in which suspicion of academic dishonesty on the part of the student is reported to the ASC. No course in which a student has been found responsible for a violation of the College's academic honesty policies may be dropped or opted as S/Cr/NC. The privileges are restored, retroactively if need be, only if a finding of no responsibility is made by the ASC.

The Academic Standing Committee will determine whether or not the student is in fact responsible for violation of the academic honesty policy. When the student is found not responsible, the work is returned to the faculty member to be graded without bias or penalty. When the student is found responsible, a disciplinary sanction ranging from censure and warning to expulsion will be assigned. The ASC, in consultation with the faculty member(s), will determine grading penalties, up to and including failure in the course.